TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Obadiah 1:1-21
Revelation 4:1-11
Psalm 132:1-18
Proverbs 29:24-25
Obadiah 1:1 — From J. Vernon McGee:
The name Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.” He is one of four prophets about whom we know absolutely nothing except that he wrote prophecy. The other three prophets are Habakkuk, Haggai, and Malachi. These four prophets are cloaked in anonymity. Obadiah is like a ghost writer in that he is there, but we do not know him. He lived up to his name, for he was a servant of Jehovah. A servant boasts of no genealogy neither exploits nor experiences. He doesn’t push himself forward. He has to demonstrate by what he does that he can even claim the place of a servant. So Obadiah is just a prophet who wrote one of the great prophecies of the Scripture.
https://www.ttb.org/resources/study-guides/obadiah-study-guide
Obadiah 1:4 — The LORD is serious about pride. Why? It can lead to violations of every commandment. Also, everything we have to be proud of is given to us from Him. So, is the root of pride ingratitude?
Obadiah 1:12 — Speaking of pride, this specific type of pride is known in German as schadenfreude.
Obadiah 1:21 — Amos was a Judean sent to the Northern Kingdom. Obadiah was sent to Edom. Jonah was sent to Ninevah. Notice that God is implying that His standards are not local/tribal but universal. That assumes that those without specific revelation are accountable, i.e. general revelation is enough to condemn them (Paul will amplify this point in Romans 2:15).
Revelation 4:1 — That’s a strange thing. A door opens in heaven and John is told to come up to the door! How could he? He didn’t; God told him what He would do and then proceeded to do it. Just like the rest of Revelation, God is telling us what He will do, and then He is getting ready to do it!
By the way, we’ve read about this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. A voice like a trumpet will call out “Come up hither,” and then we will be caught up like John was.
Revelation 4:4 — Who are the four and twenty elders? The 12 Tribes and the 12 Apostles – united together in the day when “all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26).
Revelation 4:6 — Yes, one day we can sing His praise as we gather by the crystal sea.
Revelation 4:11 — This is a great verse to meditate on. The song “Thou Art Worthy” is almost word perfect KJV and great for meditating.
Psalm 132:12 — Notice the conditions of the Davidic Covenant. In Psalm 132:11 we see that the LORD swore that He will set David’s children on the throne, but He did not say which ones. In Jeremiah 22:30, for example, God says Jehoiachin’s line is over.
Proverbs 29:24 — As we say today, “There is no honor among thieves.”
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